I. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to apparatus for supporting an article to be read by an individual without the need for the individual to support the article by hand. More particularly, this invention pertains to such an apparatus which is portable and collapsible for transport and storage yet readily assembled on any flat horizontal surface such as a table top.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In the music industry, apparatus to support sheets of music have long been used. Typically, such apparatus includes a floor mounted stand which supports an inclined surface having a lower upwardly projecting ledge. Sheet music or the like is disposed on the inclined surface with the upwardly projecting ledge retaining the sheet music in position. Commonly, the height of the inclined surface can be raised or lowered to accommodate a musician who is either standing or sitting.
Prior art music stands, as described above, have proven extremely useful but they are not without inconveniences. For example, such stands are stored in their upright position and require a substantial amount of room for storage. Also, during storage many such music stands are jammed together where they may rock about and damage one another. Particularly, the protruding retaining ledge is subject to damaging impact.
In addition to storage and handling problems, such prior art music stands are not readily transportable. While such stands are portable in the sense that they can be moved from place to place within a room, they are not easily moved from location to location over any significant distance without substantial inconvenience.
Finally, such stands are not sufficiently flexible to address the various needs of musicians. This is particularly true for youngsters learning to play a musical instrument. The environment and location where such students may study varies widely and often cannot accommodate prior art music stands. It would be desirable to provide such students with a sheet music support which is sufficiently flexible such that it could be placed on a desk top or on the upper surface of a bed while the student is practicing a musical instrument. Also, it would be desirable for such a stand to be readily transportable from place to place and easily storable while protecting essential elements of the stand. Unfortunately, the art has not developed such a stand.